


You don't know me but I'm your brother

by medusa20



Series: The Galveston Chronicles [8]
Category: Big Bang Theory
Genre: Family Drama, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-09
Updated: 2011-09-09
Packaged: 2017-10-23 13:46:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/250961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/medusa20/pseuds/medusa20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sheldon and Junior on the drive back to Austin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You don't know me but I'm your brother

 

Sheldon clambers into the cab of the truck and clips his seat belt.  He then moves the seat forward then backward then tries to adjust it halfway between only to have it slide fully back.  He sighs heavily and reaches down once more to begin the ritual again.  Junior’s hands tighten on the wheel; he chews his lip.  Sheldon continues fiddling with his seat, blissfully unaware.

 

“Touch that seat again,” Junior roars when Sheldon tries for the third time to get his seating correct, “and I swear I will tie you to the gun rack on the roof for the ride back to Austin.”

 

Sheldon stops immediately and folds his hands in his lap.  Junior turns the ignition and pulls out of the driveway.

 

Each brother is lost in his own thoughts, until Junior gets on Interstate 45 North.

 

“Shall we play a game?” Sheldon suggests.  Junior looks at him warily, “We have to stay on this road for thirty-two miles.  It will help the time pass.”

 

“I’m gonna regret this,” Junior mutters but nods anyway.

 

“We’ll start with an easy one,” Sheldon enthuses. “Superheroes.”

 

“No.”

 

Sheldon stares at his brother aghast, “You can’t renege.  We had a verbal agreement.”

 

“Now I’m un-agreeing,” Junior barks, changing lanes without his directional or a single look in the rearview mirror.  Sheldon yelps and clutches his seatbelt.

 

Once his heart rate slows, Sheldon looks over at his brother, “Very well. Since you clearly have some issue with superheroes, I will leave it to you to suggest the topic.”

 

“I don’t have “an issue with superheroes,” Junior adopts Sheldon’s pedantic tone perfectly, “I have an issue with you refusing to grow up.”

 

Sheldon blinks at him, “That is truly remarkable,” he comments.

 

“What is?’

 

“Your skills at mimicry. I do believe we’ve missed a latent talent of yours.  You should have been an impressionist.”

 

“Shut up,” Junior’s tone is good-natured even if his punch to Sheldon’s shoulder is harder than it needs to be.  His face grows somber when he looks over at Sheldon surreptitiously rubbing his forearm.

 

“I meant what I said, Shelly.”

 

“Which part”’ Sheldon stares out his window.,“The refusal to consort with fictional characters or telling me to shut up?”

 

Junior shifts in his seat and turns his baseball cap backwards.  Sheldon shudders - from this angle, his brother is the picture of their father.

 

“The part about you growing up,” Junior says dryly.  “You’re in college now.  You’re goin’ to a foreign country, you’re gonna have all sorts of letters after your name.”

 

“This is strange advice coming from someone who goes by ‘Junior,’’ Sheldon comments.

 

“Enough with the comments.  Just listen for once in your life.  This may come as a shock but you don’t know everything.”

 

Sheldon snorts - his second one today.  When did he pick up one of Penny’s little verbal tics?

 

“I helped you last night but, Shelly, I can’t keep fightin’ your battles.  Your life is takin’ you far from here to places I can’t even begin to imagine and I’m worried you’ll never be able to stand on your own.  Be your own man.”

 

Sheldon swallows.  His brother’s words hurt him more than any slap or put down delivered by their father.  George was still speaking.

 

“If that’s the case then I didn’t do my job as a big brother.”  Junior takes the ramp for 71.

 

“I do not believe my upbringing was your responsibility.” Sheldon rolls down the window.  All this talk about emotions, growing up, responsibility not to mention his conversation with Missy about Penny is beginning to make him feel carsick.

 

“ ‘Course it was!” Junior is incredulous.  “Mom and Dad were too busy fighting to do it and Missy’s been able to look after herself since she could walk.  Who else was left?”

 

Sheldon stares at his sibling.  He has no answer for him - all he wanted to do was play a simple game of “name that superhero” and Junior went off on this unfathomable tangent.

 

“I just don’t want to see you mess up this thing with Penny,” Junior finally admits.

 

“There is no thing,” Sheldon uses air quotes, “with Penny.”

 

Junior’s eyebrows climb right up his forehead.  His right hand reaches out to yank Sheldon’s shirt collar down.

 

“Both hands on the wheel!  Both hands on the wheel!” Sheldon cries while slapping his brother’s paw away to cover up the mark on his neck.  Junior guffaws.

 

“Like I said, Shelly.  You don’t know everything.  Penny’s had you marked as hers from the day you two met.  Last night, she just finally let you know it.”  Junior reaches over to the radio, flicking on some country music.

 

Sheldon slouches down in his seat.  His hand rubs absently at the tender bruise on his neck and the singer on the radio wails plaintively about broken hearts and busted water pipes.  His eyes flick to the odometer.  Only one hundred and sixteen miles to go.

 

X

 

“Pull over here, please.” Sheldon indicates a small store once they are just outside the university campus area.

 

Junior brings the truck to the curb, “What’s in here?”

 

“Laundry detergent.”

 

“Didn’t Momma wash all your clothes last night?” Junior frowns.

 

“She did,” Sheldon replies as he opens the door.  “But tonight is Saturday night.”  Junior gives him a blank look. “Laundry night,” Sheldon supplies.

 

“Are you going to wash the clothes that Mom cleaned?”  Sheldon can tell his brother is utterly befuddled by him.

 

“Don’t be ridiculous.  Like the mail, laundry never stops.”  Sheldon slams the door and walks purposefully into the shop.

 

Junior rests his forehead on the wheel and shakes his head.  He knows Momma had Shelly tested but there are times he questions if those tests got it right.

 

Sheldon comes out.  Just as he is about to climb into the truck, two girls callout to him.

 

“Hi Sheldon!  You’re back early.”

 

Sheldon turns then immediately looks at his shoes; Junior climbs out of the truck and clears his throat.  The girls are stunning and not girls- young women actually.  One has thick brown hair and grey eyes behind cranberry-colored eyeglass frames.  The other has thick red hair, a smattering of freckles and soft brown eyes.  They both beam at Junior when they see him.

 

“Who’s that?”  The red head asks, motioning at Junior.

 

“That is my older brother Ju-George,” Sheldon corrects himself.  “George, this is Jessica Allen and,” he then points to the brunette, “and this is Brittany Costa.  They are students in my physics discussion section.”

 

“Sheldon is our TA.” Brittany explains.

 

Junior nods knowingly, “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you ladies.  I hope my brother isn’t too hard on you in class.”

 

“No harder than he is on anyone else,” Jessica smiles. “Sheldon, you never told us you had a brother.”

 

“My number of siblings bears no relevance to the topics we discuss in class,” Sheldon says as Junior rolls his eyes to heaven and Brittany laughs.

 

Jessica stares at Sheldon for a moment then turns her attention to Junior.  “Are you staying on campus for the rest of the weekend?  I could probably get you into a party or two.  And Sheldon,” she adds hastily.

 

Sheldon is giving Junior the hairy eyeball and subtly pointing at his bottle of laundry detergent.

 

“I’m afraid I will have to decline, ladies,” Junior smiles. “It’s a long drive back to Galveston.”

 

“As will I,” Sheldon cuts in.  “It would be deemed inappropriate if we were to fraternize outside of class especially given you two ladies have a rather extensive test on Tuesday.”

 

“God help me,” Junior mumbles.

 

Both girls pale at Sheldon’s words but he continues to speak, “Even I can tell by your pallor that you have forgotten the impending examination. May I suggest rather than going to parties, you two fill the remainder of the weekend by creating flashcards of the various laws and formulae you will be required to regurgitate in two days time.”  Sheldon climbs backing to the truck, leaving the co-eds staring open-mouthed at him.

 

“George!  Professor and Doctor Ricks are expecting me at any moment. Chop! Chop!”

 

Junior smiles at the two girls and tips his baseball cap a little, “It was a real pleasure meetin’ y’all.  Good luck on Tuesday.” He drives off.

 

Sheldon is hugging the laundry detergent tightly.  Even here in this establishment of higher learning people are shirking their responsibilities to academia in order to attend parties.  Those girls have no business going out tonight - he knows their GPA for the physics course down to the last decimal place.

 

“Are you alright?”  Junior breaks into his thoughts.

 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Sheldon asks.

 

“I don’t know how you concentrate on teaching with women like that sittin’ in front of you.”  Junior smiles.

 

“I suppose they are attractive by Western standards,” Sheldon muses.

 

“But not by yours.” His brother presses.

 

Sheldon is quiet for a moment, “I am not indifferent to their appeal,” he finally admits, “but my attention does lie elsewhere.  I have a PhD to complete and defend and a Nobel Prize to win.”

 

“And neither of them are green-eyed blondes.” Junior smirks, turning up the road that leads to Professor Ricks house.

 

“That too.” Sheldon agrees.

 

 


End file.
